Inside new No 10 North – Greggs, Larry the cat cardboard reduce out and Burnham’s ‘throne’
Andy Burnham’s new Manchester office boasts a cardboard cut out of Larry the Cat and a “throne” for the PM to sit on. Number 10 North is situated in an office block in Manchester city centre above a branch of Greggs.
A throne-like wingback chair which the King of the North sits on – a parting gift from his staff from the Greater Manchester Mayor’s office – is patterned with the city’s iconic worker-bee symbol and motto: “We do things differently here.”
Mr Burnham insisted: “It’s absolutely not a gimmick. I like the balance. It was always about balanced decision making. It’s how it should be.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Number Ten North(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
“But it doesn’t diminish the importance of Downing Street. It’s where the country has always been run from. That will always be the case. But it’s about bringing what happens there a bit closer to people.
“I’m trying to change the country through what I learned in my time as mayor.”“I’m bringing all of that learning to the service of the country and, hopefully, we can make some changes as a result.”
Around 50 civil servants are currently based at the makeshift power centre at Heron House, with the number expected to reach around 150. Some are currently commuting from as far as Bristol and Darlington.
Larry the cat(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
One civil servant told the Manchester Evening News: “It’s like a standard open plan office … except the Prime Minister is here. It’s like being in the corporate world but on steroids.”
The building itself is part homage to Manchester and part tribute to the organisation that occupied it before Mr Burham arrived with his staff. In the canteen, shared with GCHQ, there is a framed poem by Tony Walsh.
‘This is the place’ became a symbol of defiance overnight when Walsh read it at a vigil for the victims of the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017. There are also references to the suffragettes, Alan Turing and Manchester’s history.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham at Number Ten North(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Also inside the building is a mini GCHQ museum. One telephone lets you pick it up and listen to audio from Jodrell Bank. There are several glass cases dedicated to Alan Turing, who helped with the code-breaking effort during the Second World War.
Inside are his top-secret report from his time at Bletchley Park, the court report from his 1952 conviction for ‘gross indecency’ (because he was gay), the Enigma machine, a Turing £50 note and a special edition of Monopoly.
Even the tea lady has been drafted in from Downing Street, though she insists: “The set-up time was quick. In the long term they will be recruiting someone local.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Inside the Prime Minister’s office is a table accommodating roughly 10 people, a compact grey sofa and a coffee table displaying a copy of “There’s gonna be a show”, by Jimmy Mulville.
Penned by the Everton-supporting comedian who attended Cambridge University, the autobiography explores how devotion to a football club can guide a wayward son back home, returning to the city and family he never stopped loving.
Near the PM’s office sits a whiteboard titled “Priority Projects”, featuring a catalogue of mayoral requirements, including the Northern Powerhouse Rail, Atom Valley, and Victoria North.
Andy Burnham sitting on a chair that was a gift from his colleagues (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
The auditorium’s entrance is an “enormous black door” that “opens like a vault within a bank”. Inside sits a lengthy table surrounded by approximately 30 chairs.
Cardboard Larry has been positioned on it alongside copies of Head North, Burnham’s book co-written with Liverpool mayor Steve Rotherham.
As part of his major devolution plans, Mr Burnham hopes to chair a meeting with the country’s regional mayors and ministers on a monthly basis.
On the walls are Stanley Chow portraits of Greater Manchester icons(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
He said: “When you have a growth project you obviously will have to come down to London and go round Whitehall departments and the outside agencies and it can be a hard process, a frustrating process.”
No 10 North, he claims, will change that and make it ‘more dynamic’, adding: “You’ve got one black door… not so much in the south anymore but up here in Manchester to knock on.”
During the visit from the MEN, Mr Burnham acknowledged that he “may not succeed” in attempting to get rough sleepers off the streets in time for Christmas.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
The Prime Minister unveiled a national campaign to end rough sleeping, supported by increased funding of £102 million, with a combined package of £442 million aimed at ending the crisis in England.
But when questioned whether he feels confident about achieving his objective, Mr Burnham provided a frank response, conceding: “I will do my best to give everybody an offer. And I may not succeed.
“Let me just put my hands up and say that. I’d rather try, because that’s who I am. I want to bring those values to the way I go about this.”
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